SHANGHAI, February 28. /TASS/. Statements that NATO may dispatch troops to Ukraine are nothing but a political bluff aimed at pushing Kiev to keep fighting despite the unfavorable battlefield situation, Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, told TASS.

"Reports that NATO is considering the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine are no more than a threat. It is a sort of political bluff aimed at encouraging Ukraine to maintain resistance rather than surrender in an unfavorable military situation. As for the actual probability [of such troop movements], [European] NATO [members] would not dare to send troops there because the US has [already] made it clear it will not be sending its own troops," the expert pointed out.

In addition, according to him, "NATO’s current military power is not enough to confront Russia." However, in Wang’s words, NATO has in fact been involved in the conflict for the past two years because it provides Ukraine with mercenaries, satellite data and weapons. The expert believes the aforementioned remarks are intended as a message for Russia. "It is an attempt to threaten Russia in order to stop it from developing its offensive by saying that it would lead to the involvement of NATO forces," the analyst noted, adding that it would currently be more advantageous for NATO to participate in the conflict by means of providing Kiev with military aid and putting financial pressure on Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on February 26 that some 20 Western countries taking part in a recent Paris meeting on further assistance for Kiev had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine. According to Macron, no consensus was reached on the issue but such a possibility cannot be ruled out in the future. Meanwhile, officials from most of the countries that took part in the meeting have stated that they have no plans to send troops to Ukraine, in particular because they oppose the idea of direct involvement in military operations against Russia.